12 August 2010

Would you love me without makeup?

As girls, we're taught from an early age how we should look. Of course, this includes smooth unblemished skin, long eyelashes, big round eyes, luscious lips, etc. However, as luck would have it, the only real way for most people to look this way is through makeup, and nowadays, surgery.

In Hong Kong, I heard that most, if not all public schools ban girls from wearing makeup (among other things). At first, I was shocked since in Canada, high school was the time when most girls started experimenting with makeup and defining their 'look'. I still remember the first Covergirl lipstick I bought in high school. Although it was a horrible shade of Barbie pink, I wore it over my chapped lips with pride (even though it totally clashed with my turquoise braces :D).

Apparently, the ban on makeup, specific hairstyles and various other things in school were to prevent girls from becoming too superficial. But even though girls in Hong Kong got a late start, I must say they've caught up pretty fast. Today, Hong Kong is literally a playground for those who want to change the way they look. Here's just a short list of what's now commonplace:

Since there's pretty much a 'solution' for every superficial flaw, the quest for perfection is never-ending for many. And the thing with all this is, once you start using stuff (makeup, etc.), it's usually quite hard to stop because it becomes a routine, a habit, a way that you're used to being seen. Because of this, it's usually quite hard for a woman to go back to wearing no makeup at all, at least not by choice.

I'm pretty sure there was a time when being fake was frowned upon, but men (and women, I suppose) these days don't seem to care. Of course, if it's THIS you're dealing with, I guess fake ain't so bad...but what do you think, ladies and gents, is natural beauty a thing of the past...?! Or is it enough nowadays to be an ulzzang!?

About the Pub

At the Libertines Pub, Hong Kong, you're invited to think otherwise. We are a bunch of rascals who got fed up with the herd mentality and would like to see you having the courage to think for yourself. Our sole objective is the liberation of your thinking through provocative, sometimes irritating, ridicule.